


And the forest echoed

by flowerfield



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Character Death, F/M, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 09:39:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15554907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerfield/pseuds/flowerfield
Summary: Humanity's battle with the titans has come to an end. But is it a happy one?





	And the forest echoed

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!  
> I swear, this took forever to write, edit (special thanks to my patient and supportive friend K. for the help, i love you) and publish, but there you go!  
> It's my first AoT fanfic, so any feedback from you is greatly appreciated!

 

There was none.

As much as they were tired, Levi’s eyes were still vigilant and wide-open, his head alert, his palms on the handgrips of the silver blades, ready for any unpleasant encounter, but he could not spot a single titan nearby. He could not spot a single living thing nearby.

_Could it be over?_

He could not hear a single thing either. Not even cries for help. He was alone.

He looked around again. Nothing, but a bald field sowed with dead bodies on the south, a half-demolished Wall Rose in the background. No trees, no buildings, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

He turned his head north. A small forest-like area a mile away.

His heart kept pounding hard against his chest.

_What if she’s not there?_

He felt himself shivering at the thought.

_No._

Doubt and fear were now luxuries he couldn’t afford.

Soon enough he found himself moving towards the forest.

____

And he found her.

Leaning on the trunk of a tall old pine tree, eyes closed, breath heavy, bloody hands clutching her abdomen.

Levi’s hand found his pistol in a blink of an eye and a purple flare found its way to the clouds.

He ran with his all might, feet barely supporting him and finally giving in, letting him fall onto the ground on his knees beside her.

Gathering all his strength, he sat on the ground and laid her head on his lap so, so carefully, letting a heartfelt breath out.

\- “Levi…?” – a tired, almost soundless whisper reached his ears. Her eyes were closed and she wasn’t moving, but he knew the voice didn’t come from his imagination.

\- “That’s right. – He tried to suppress the shaking in his voice. - I’m not going anywhere.”

She did not answer at first, but the captain heard a heavy sigh released into the air. Levi shifted himself and pressed his lips to her forehead, feeling her disturbed breath on his cheek.

\- “It’s over. We’re going to be okay.”

As soon as he said it he saw the edges of her lips come up. She finally opened her eyes with all the effort she could manage.

\- “Over. Wow…”

She suddenly coughed up.

_Blood._

He knew exactly what that meant.

He felt as if he was going to suffocate.

One of her hands travelled from her stomach to meet his cheek, her fingers caressing it delicately. He took it in his own and kissed her fingers, simultaneously trying to swallow the newly formed lump in his throat.

\- “I want to go home.” – she sighed so quietly he could barely hear her.

\- “I’ll take us home,”– he promised.

His thoughts flew at a speed of light, trying to find a solution, trying to think of a way they could both get out of here fast. Get out of here _alive_.

_Where the fuck is everybody?_

_Did no one notice his shot?_

_Isn’t anyone going to save us?_

\- “Oh Levi…” – her breath was becoming more and more unsteady. She stared at him, her gaze lingering on his face, as if trying to memorize its features, just as his own did.

She managed an exhausted smile while running her hand through his hair, trying to turn his attention from her abdomen but he was no fool. Her palm wasn’t big enough to cover the wound.

Reality hit him hard and sharp.

And he knew she realized it too.

There was no way they would make it out of here.

So there they were, alone together, both painfully aware of the time passing mercilessly fast.

The two pairs of eyes locked with each other. None of them said anything, as there was no need to do so. Instead, Levi sunk into the (eye color) eyes of his wife-never-to-be and had his life flash before him like a comet.

Kuchel. His childhood in the Underground. Kenny and the rough lessons he had taught him. Meeting Farlan and Isabel. Joining the Scouts. Losing his friends. Losing his team. And the moment he’d first met the woman dying on his lap this very moment. The centre of his universe.

____

_The mission was an utter failure._

_It wasn’t worth it._

_Levi was sitting on the edge of his bed as he heard a knock on the door._

_\- “Corporal Levi, sir?” – a soft female voice was heard on the other side of the old oaken door – “It’s (Name/Surname), I’ve come to treat your leg.”_

_\- “Come in.”_

_He heard the door being carefully opened and closed, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps._

_A young female kneeled in front of him and wordlessly started inspecting his wound._

_Levi was glad he didn’t have to put up with any shitty small-talk._

_But one little detail didn’t escape his attention. It was the simplest thing – a lack of typical medical attire._

_\- “Why are you treating me?”- he asked._

_\- “Sorry?” – she didn’t take her eyes off his wound._

_-“You’re not a nurse.”_

_She went quiet for a moment._

_\- "You’re right, sir. Commander Dok forbid supplying the scouts with more than 15 medics at a time. “Wasting of resources”, he says. But Squad Leader Zoe is satisfied with my medical knowledge enough to let me take care of such injuries.”_

_Levi snorted and said nothing, his mind going back into the world of his own._

_\- “Captain, may I say something?” – he heard her ask softly._

_\- "Shoot.”_

_\- “I… I know what happened to your squad. And I’m sorry.” – she took a breath – “And I know you blame yourself. But… - she hesitated. - But you shouldn’t. You have put your trust in them, just as they have in you. ”_

_He kept silent, letting her words fall into his void of a mind._

_\- “That’s it for today, sir. – she said as she started to pack up the bandages – “Your treatment will take a while and you’ll be checked up on again tomorrow.”_

_His gaze adverted to her eyes and as they’ve met he couldn’t help but notice the shade of the (eye color) of her irises and the emotions that were trying to break free with the gathering tears._

_\- “Captain?” – he heard her questioning voice._

_\- “Sorry. – he turned away. – “You are dismissed, (Name).”_

_\- “Yes, sir.”_

_But before the door was closed behind her, she allowed herself one more statement._

_\- “After all, the only thing we’re really allowed to do is believe we won’t regret the choice that we’ve made.”_

_And just like that, with the sound of the shut door, the void was gone._

_His own words used against him._

_Maybe it’s the way she said it that struck him so aptly he couldn’t get her out of his mind._

_Maybe it was the lack of the common aura of death in her being._

_Or maybe it was the simpler things – the (eye color) of her eyes, the rosy shade of her cheeks and the feeling of hope she’d left with him in that moment._

_Later he would learn that she’d lost her brothers in the very same battle._

_As her visits became more and more frequent, they found themselves enjoying each other’s presence. She’d check on his leg, give him medicine. He’d do paperwork while she made him tea. Eventually they’d just spend their evenings together._

_One evening he kissed her._

_Back then he was convinced it was pure curiosity that pushed him into trying that, but months later, when their feelings towards each other were clear, he knew it was a burst of the emotions he’s been bottling up for quite some time._

_He wasn’t sure it was love at first, maybe a passion, a desire to experience something odd to his world, a want to be close to her, but it was certainly safe to say it was love now._

____

Their relationship didn’t need many words. They didn’t need dates, empty promises and engagement rings. They weren’t teens that were too shy to admit their feelings.

They both had a past of their own they didn’t want to return to, but they most certainly had a future they were both looking forward to.

A future that had vanished the very moment her eyes closed with a sigh.

\- “(Name)? (Name)!? Don’t close your eyes!”

With the corner of his eye, Levi noticed the stillness of her chest.

\- “(Name), please! Wake the fuck up, you hear me!” - he cried.

Silence.

_“I want to go home”_

_“I want to go home”_

The ringing in his ears was getting louder and louder.

Unbearable.

With her lifeless body in his arms Levi screamed at the top of his lungs.

____

They were so close. They made it. They were one step from a normal life.

_Turns out this step is a mile long_

_“I want to go home”_

_I’ll take us home._

_But what is home if you’re not there?_

He looked up at the sky.

There was nothing but the endless grey for him.

It was as if he went blind in a second.

But he could still feel - feel the piercing pain on every inch of his body, feel his fingers shake, feel his blood rushing through his veins, his heart pounding in his heavy chest.

And as the first drops of rain reached his face, he could feel them too.

He felt he knew exactly where to go.

Exactly what to do.

A tired sigh.

His eyes closed.

The lump in his throat growing bigger.

His right hand slowly moved behind his back, reaching for the ever so familiar old dagger.

_“I want to go home”_

_“I want to go home”_

\- “Let’s go home, then.” – he whispered.

A tired sigh.

A slow head movement. A soft kiss on (Name)’s lifeless eyelids.

A quick hand movement.

Anticipated precision.

Ever so skilled. Humanity’s strongest.

A sudden wave of piercing pain.

A sparking copper shade.

Two hearts, broken even before they’ve stopped beating.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, dears!


End file.
